Mental health
Mental health is a broad area, influenced by diverse factors.
At the personal level, mental health refers to the quality
of a person's psychological, social, and behavioural functioning
in the world.
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The Mental Health Foundation, 1995
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Positive mental health is a prerequisite if students are to reach their highest academic, physical, and social potential. The implementation of programmes in this key area of learning will contribute to the development of a safe emotional environment in classrooms and the wider school, as required by National Administration Guideline 5 (i).
In this key area of learning, students will have opportunities to explore the ways in which the physical, mental and emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of hauora contribute to mental health.
Students will examine social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors that influence people's mental health, including the effects of media messages. Students will use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to develop strategies and safety procedures for avoiding, minimising, or managing risk situations.
A supportive classroom environment is necessary for quality learning in mental health. In supportive classroom situations, students can acknowledge diverse points of view, accept a range of abilities, and show concern for one another. Teachers should use a range of teaching and learning strategies that encourage all students to participate fully in the programme.
School-wide policies and practices that promote equality, fairness, and non-violence will support classroom programmes and help to develop a school environment that enhances students' mental health.
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Students require a range of learning opportunities in mental
health. These include opportunities to develop:
knowledge, understandings, and skills to strengthen personal
identity and enhance a sense of self-worth for
example, through learning about self-awareness, self-reflection,
self-appraisal, and self-advocacy, and about personal characteristics,
relationships, and contexts that contribute to a sense of
identity;
knowledge, understandings, and skills to examine discrimination
and stereotyping, and to evaluate their impact on people's
mental health for example, when recognising
instances of discrimination and stereotyping, acknowledging
individual differences, respecting the rights of other people,
and responding constructively to discriminatory practices
and behaviours;
understandings and personal and interpersonal skills to
enhance relationships for example,
through learning about the range and nature of relationships
and the factors that influence them, learning to use a range
of communication skills effectively, working co-operatively
to achieve common goals in a range of settings, and examining
options, consequences, and positive responses to challenges
and changes in relationships;
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knowledge, understandings, and skills to support themselves
and other people during times of stress, disappointment,
and loss for example, when expressing
their own ideas and feelings and listening to those of
other people, managing change, implementing practical
strategies for supporting themselves and other people,
accessing support, and understanding cultural differences
associated with loss and grief;
knowledge, understandings, and skills to make informed,
health-enhancing decisions in relation to drug use and misuse
for example, through learning about
the effects of drugs on all dimensions of hauora, becoming
aware of choices and consequences, using communication and
problem-solving skills effectively, developing strategies
for protecting themselves and other people, examining their
own rights and responsibilities and those of other people
and society, accessing support in problem situations, learning
about policies and laws, and critically analysing ways in
which society influences people in relation to drugs and
the impacts that drug use and misuse have on society;
knowledge, understandings, and skills to recognise
and respond to situations of abuse and harassment
for example, through learning about
causes and effects, learning about their own rights and
responsibilities and those of other people, using communication
skills effectively, identifying and using strategies and
safety procedures, and becoming aware of policies and laws;
knowledge and understanding of the benefits of physical
activity, relaxation, and recreation in relation to mental
health;
values and attitudes that support the enhancement of mental
health for the students themselves, other people, and society
such as a positive and responsible
attitude to their own well-being, respect for the rights
of other people, care and concern for other people, and
a sense of social justice.
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